In the home stretch!

At least, I hope we're in the home stretch!

Sunday evening I started using sugardine (sugar and betadine) on Princess' foot.  Maybe he was getting better anyway, but it seems to have improved a lot in the past couple of days!  Last night I took his diaper off and was using a hoof pick to poke around.  It didn't go nearly as far in the hole, and River didn't object to it.  Yay!!! 

I'm really really really hoping it finishes healing quick.  Partly because I want to ride, but mostly because the poor guy is so sick of being stalled!  Normally, when I put him in his stall it's a lesson in what not to do.  I walk him to the stall with the throatlatch unsnapped.  As he's walking in, I pull the halter off while I'm standing in the doorway.  He continues to walk in, and I don't have to turn him around or go in the stall with him to take the halter off.  It saves about 3 seconds.  Which, yeah, isn't really worth it.  But whatever.  Anyway.  Monday night, I put him away this way.  Only when I took the halter off and turned to close the door, I realized he wasn't in the stall.  He took advantage of being let go of to back up and stand in the aisle.  He was eying* his escape when I pounced on him and got the halter back on.  So now we walk alllllll the way into the stall before the halter comes off.

But yeah.  Poor guy is now viewing his stall as a prison cell.  Sorry, buddy, but it's not my fault you decided to get an abscess!  I'm probably being way overprotective, but I just can't bring myself to let him go outside until he's healed.  Doesn't help that the last week has been miserable and cold and rainy with only one or two decent days.. so turnout is gross and muddy.  Only the front of Riv and The Mare's turnout is muddy, but it's not like he can avoid that entirely because of the gate.  I don't trust him to stay in the back where it's dry.

On the bright side, The Mare has totally adjusted to being without him.  Yesterday I put her out first.  She hollered once, then wandered around until I threw her hay.  It only took her almost a week to wean her from her boyfriend!  In contrast, it took about 12 hours to wean her from her daughter.  I guess she's one of those women who cares more about her man than her children.  Tut-tut.